How dust mites affect your allergies, and what to do about it

Dust itself is a regular problem
in the common household. Dust makes things dirty, it affects our health, and it
can be just plain itchy. Dust allergies can even trigger asthma symptoms like
wheezing and tightness in your chest. Between home, work, and the different
places we visit during the day, dust is a persistent problem.

So… what is dust?

Dust is a lot grosser than you
think it is. Insect waste, mold, pollen, human skin, and plain old dirt make up
the dirty, itchy substance that we call dust. You’ll immediately notice some
things in that make up which already trigger allergies. Things like pollen and
insect waste that we’re already allergic to can compound your allergies when it
collects as dust – this is why we and other allergy specialists always
recommend having a tidy home to maintain allergies.

The biggest contributor to our
allergies from dust are the dust mites. A lot people have heard of dust mites,
but aren’t exactly sure of what they are. Think of them as basically
microscopic spiders that feed on the things that make up dust. They like to
hang out on our beds, furniture, carpets, and really anywhere dust can settle.

Dust mites aren’t like other
pests where you’ll be able to see or at least identify if they’re there. You
would need a microscope to find these little guys hanging out. They also are
not one of the pests that you can simply eliminate from your home. Dust mites
aren’t going away completely, but you can limit the amount of them that affect your
life. More on that later in this post.

How do I know if dust mites are affecting me?

Dust mite allergies are a lot
like mold where you can’t pinpoint a specific “season” which they thrive.
Because of this, you can’t really use a pollen count or time of the year to
address your symptoms and “diagnose” your allergy. Obviously the best way to
determine the specifics and severity of your allergy is to get an allergy test,
but that’s not always an option for everyone. Here are some signs that you may
have a dust mite allergy:

· Lasting allergy or asthma
symptoms after being in a dusty environment. These are symptoms that would be worse than
common sneezing from dust particles entering your nose. If you’re experiencing
a stuffy nose, a cough, or nasal drip hours after being in a dusty environment,
you may have a dust mite allergy.

· Allergy symptoms year-round. If you’re suffering from
allergies year round, dust mites could be one of the major causes of this.

· Worse allergies in certain
environments.If you notice your allergies or
breathing getting worse in specific places, it could be a sign of dust mites
affecting you.

So how I get rid of dust mites?

This is the million-dollar
question – or however much you spend on allergy medicine over the year. Even
though dust mites aren’t going to be eliminated, a lot of basic cleaning will
significantly lower the amount in your home.

· Regular housecleaning: Weekly dusting, vacuuming, mopping,
and washing sheets in hot water will drastically cut down on the amount of dust
mites living in your home. Protip: Get a vacuum with a HEPA filter to stop dust mites from being
put back into the air.

· If possible, wash rugs and curtains:
Dust
mites love to settle in any fabric they can find so if you have rugs and curtains
that can be washed that’s a plus.

· Buy dust mite covers for your bed and
pillows: We don’t wash our actual
mattresses or pillows too often and that allows dust mites to make nice cozy
homes in spots that we spend a lot of our day. These covers will stop dust
mites from affecting your pillows and you can clean them in one fell swoop by
washing the sheet and cover.

· Get a HEPA air purifier: One of these will eliminate 99% of ALL
allergens in your home – not just dust mites. These can seem costly as first
but they are more than worth the price of having your home allergy free 365
days a year.

· Keep track of your humidity: Try to keep the indoor humidity
less than 50%. Dust mites thrive in humid environments. You can achieve that by
getting a dehumidifier as well as by having the A/C fan run periodically during
times you aren’t using it regularly.

Of course, we would definitely recommend
starting immunotherapy via allergy drops or shots to build a long-term
resistance to your allergies, but these are some nice stop gaps if you’re in a
bind. Dust and dust mites have a large affect on your health and addressing
these problems early and properly will have you breathing easy.